Matt Smith was eager for the 2018 NHRA Pro Stock season to open in April at Gainesville, Florida.

He was set for the 15-race season and to start riding for a new team and sponsor.

But the person with the big promises backed out at the last minute, and Smith pulled out his old bike and resumed developing a new engine with Victory motorcycles.

The two-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion was undeterred and proved what his team is capable of Sunday when he won the JEG’S Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Joliet, Illinois, for his first title in four events this year and the 20th of his career.

He overcame a stiff crosswind and rider LE Tonglet to claim the NHRA Wally Trophy.

“It’s a testament to my crew,” Smith said. “These guys have stuck with me the last three or four years. We pulled this bike out after that other guy bailed on me at the last minute. We didn’t work on it all winter.”

It didn’t show at Route 66 Raceway when he and his wife, rider Angie Smith, qualified in the top-eight for eliminations.

“It’s a fast hot rod. It’s hateful,” he said of his Victory Magnum. “We proved it today by running (6.78 seconds), .78 and .79. It would have been in the .70s on the last run but the wind pushed me toward the (left) wall. I just about gave up, but I stayed with it. I had to ride it pretty hard in the final. It went left and kept going and going and going.

“I glanced over and didn’t see LE. (I thought) screw it. Richard (Freeman of Elite Performance) is buying me a new body for this thing. I was ready to tear it up.”

“I’m was just trying to win a race,” said Smith, who moved up to sixth in Mello Yello points heading to the next Pro Stock Motorcycle event June 21-24 at Norwalk, Ohio.

Smith defeated Steve Johnson, James Underdahl and No. 1 qualifier Andrew Hines to advance to his first championship round of the season and 46th in his career.

Smith, who won NHRA world titles in 2007 and 2013, resides in King, North Carolina.

NOTES: Points leader Eddie Krawiec was upset in the first round when it left 0.003 of a second too early to turn on the redlight. That allowed Vance & Hines teammate Andrew Hines to move into the Mello Yello lead by three points over Krawiec. …

It wasn’t a good weekend for the Liberty Racing team when former world champ Angelle Sampey did not qualify and teammate Cory Reed was unable to start his bike in round one. …

Hector Arana Jr. improved his track speed record in the category by going 200.89 mph, marking his third time over 200 He set the track record speed at 199.02 in the opening round then followed with 200.89 in the next round that is the second fastest ever.